Tumbling-drum for leather.



PATBNTED 813F122, 1903.

w. A. MnMANUS. TUMBLING DRUM FOR LEATHER.

APPLICATION 11.21) APR. 6. 190a.

2 SHEETS-S11E31 1.

Jamwiaz (I. We WWW, 7Q;

PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

W. A. MQMANUS.

TUMBLING DRUM FOR LEATHER.

rum-non nun APR. 6. 1903.

no MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

TU MBLlNG-DRtHV i FOR LEATHER.

$PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,613, dated September 22, 1903. Application filed April 6, 1903. Serial No. 151.,280. (ll'o model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, XVILLIAM A. MOMAN US, a citizen of 1 the United States, residing at Llewellyn Park, West Orange, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tumblers for Softening and Raising the Fiber of Leather, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings,formin g a part of the same.

The object of the present invention is to furnish an improved means of F Working or rolling various kinds I of leather for the purpose of softening and opening the fibers. Russet leather when tannedhas a very harsh feeling, and to soften the same and produce a suitable grain upon the surface it has been common to work or roll the leather by hand with a cork graining-board and also to bang it over a so-callediron pin-block or bed, all of which has the effect of working the fibers in contact with one another, so as to loosen and soften the same, and raises .the fiber of the leather, which is avery great advantage. The same treatment is practiced in a greater or less degree with anilin-colored leathers intended for the manufacture of bags, shoes, straps, furniture-coverings, and the patent-leather for carriage coverings and similar uses which require the leather to bend freely. Round and many-sided drums have been used for tumbling the leather to obviate the necessity of hand-labor in softening the leather, and pins are commonly placed inside of such drums to lift the leather and cause it to fall repeatedly as the drum rotates. Such pins frequently tear the leather and lift it so far that its fall causes the flanks of the skins to break, and such drums are now almost wholly disused. l have found that the most effective means for replacing hand-labor in softening the leather is a tumbler which" is adapted not so much to lift the leatherand let it fallas to roll the leather over and over in contact with a ridged surface within the tumbler. A round drum, forming a circular tumbler, does not work the leather sufficiently, and I have found that a tumbler having starshaped heads with obtuse reentrant angles and rounded points furnishes a rounded-star shaped periphery upon the drum or tumbler, which lifts the leather somewhat above the bottom of the tumbler and furnishes surfaces over which the leather can roll almost continuously in the absence of any abrupt shoulders or ledges to interrupt its movement. This power to slightly lift the leather is due to the partially-flat sides of the star-points, which operate intermittingly to raise the leather a little'while, rolling it over and over. The heads of thetumbler are connected by a covering ridged longitudinally of the tumbler, which covering may be formed of slats or corrugated metal extended between the heads. The tumbler may be made ten or twelve feet in diameter to secure the best results. Experienceshows that this construction is most efiective in softening the leather, opening the fiber, and raising the desired grain upon the surface, and without tearing or injuring the leather in any degree. The tumbler may also,

when the ridged surface is closed so as to hold water, as shown in Fig. 5, be used fortlie making of and the color-dyeing of leather in the process of tanning and theretanning of hides, sides, and other separate parts, kips and skins, the coloring of hides, sides, kips, and skins, and all leather-working in the wet.

The invention will be understood by reference to the annexeddrawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation, of the apparatus. The surface of the drum is not shown ridged in Figs. 1 and 2 on account of the smallness of the scale and because such details are fully illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Fig. 3 shows part of one of the heads, illustrating the details of construction. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the tumbler formed with longitudinal slats; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the tumbler having a corrugated metal covering, several rolls of gears which drive the same, and' E the shaft and pulleys for operating the gearing.

In Fig. 2 F designates one of the drumheads,

having one of the gears D secured thereon. The center of each head is provided with a metal disk G, having a journal II projected therefrom to fit one of the bearings O.

a designates the reentrant angles upon the star-shaped head, such angles being very fiat or obtuse, so that the interior of the periphery (shown in Fig. 4) exhibits no abrupt shoulders or ledges to lift the leather.

f designates the pointsof. the star, which are very considerably rounded to prevent the formation of any recesses to engage and retain the leather to lift the same.

g designates slats extended from head to head with interspaces h, into which the folds and edges of the leather are able to project, so as to be moved and tumbled by the rotation of the tumbler. Such slats are substantially equivalent to the corrugated metal covering 'i, (shown in Fig. 5,) which forms a series of ridges operating the same as the slats to catch and turn the leather as the drum revolves, and thus roll the leather over and over Such engagement and rolling of the leather occur, as in all tumblers,upon the lower quadrant of the tumbler, as indicated by the rolls of leatherj. (Shown in Fig. Battens 70 are shown extended around the outside of the slats intermediate to the heads and attached to the slats, so as to bind them together and support them against the weight of the leather within the tumbler. The slats are firm 1y attached to the heads and do not, therefore, require battens extended around the entire periphery of the slats at the heads. The battens are cut at two points near one another, as shownin Fig. 3, to form a portion of the slats into a door, and hinges Z are attached to ten to sixty minutes, which serves in practice to thoroughly soften russet leather and most of the anilin-colored leathers. The rounded star shape of the periphery operates to gradually form eachskin into a roll and to roll the'same roughly over and over in contact with the slats corrugations or over longitudinal ridges which work and bend the leather with the same effect as the ordinary hand treatment. The interference of the skins with one another causes them to frequently change position within the tumbler, so that the skins.

are rolled in various directions and folds of every kind are formed in their substance, so that they are pressed and worked with the desired effect. I The absence of any abrupt ridges or shoulders within the tumbler, which is effected by the rounded star shape of the periphery, prevents the leather from being lifted to a considerable height and thrown to the bottom of the tumbler, as often happens when pin-drums are used. The leather is thus worked without injury, and the process can be continued as long as desired without damage to the material.

Fig. 3 shows a particular construction for the heads which is adapted to large drums,

and I have therefore made a specific claim for the same. The heads are shown of hexagon character; but an octagon or any polygon may be used if the rentrant angles are made very obtuse or fiat and the projecting points rounded, as shown in the drawings, to produce a rounded star shape. The drawings show the head constructed of six sectors formed of transverse boards 72, having their ends covered and joined by radial bars 0.

The ends of the bars 0 are connected by bars 19, which form a hexagon with the sixsided construction shown. The rounded points of the stars are formed outside of the bars 19 by adding boards n, the ends of which are covered and joined by battens q. The center of each batten q is joined to one of the bars 1) by a radial brace r. The batten q and the boards n form' a suitable thickness at the edge of each head to support the slats which are fastened thereto.

The battens shown in Fig. 3 are not upon the ends of the slats, but intermediate to th heads, as shown in 1..

The metal disk or plate G, which carries the journal H, is bolted to the center of each head over the radial bars 0, and the drum is thus supported upon its journals without extending any shaft through its interior. This construction permits the use of cheap material to form the heads and produces a tumbler of suitable strength for working the leather, as the hides only average about seven pounds each and the drum seldom contains more than three hundred and fifty pounds at one time.

I find in practice that the operation is more rapid and effective if fifty hides are placed in the tumbler at once, as the hides in such case pile and roll upon one another and pound and work one another, so as to prbduce a very beneficial effect and without the injury which results from performing the same operations by positive mechanical agencies.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, owing to the smallness of the scale, I have shown only a few of the hides rolled more or less together, for the purpose of illustrating the operation of the rounded star shape.

From the above description it will be seen that the rolling operation produced bya tumbler of this shape is materially different from the operation of any tumbler which is constructed to lift the material repeatedly and drop it upon the surface of the tumbler at a lower point.

Longitudinal slats. or ridges are provided inside the periphery to indent the leather as the leather rolls over such ridges. I am aware that barrels for carpet cleaning and analogous purposes have been made with a serpentine periphery and with an interior of approximately star shape formed by yielding bands or cords stretched over suitable framing. The prior constructions are not adapted to work the leather in the same manner as mine, as they would operate either to lift the leather excessively and injure it by letting it drop or the leather would roll over and over (in the case of the barrel lined with cords or bands) without the indentation which is necessary to bend and soften the leather and which is furnished in my construction by the longitudinal ridges which line the interior of my tumbler.

Where the tumbler is intended to retain dyestuff or other fluid, the periphery is made water-tight in a manner common to such tumblers, and the serpentine periphery then operates to roll the leather and to produce the desired effects without tearing or damaging the flanks of the leather.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein-is- 1 1. The revolving tumbler herein shown and described for softening and raising the fiber of leather, the same having star-shaped heads with points f considerably rounded, and very obtuse rentrant angles a, and the sides of the points flat excepting for the rounding atthe ends, the periphery. of the tumbler having longitudinal ridged surface upon the interior, whereby the leather is rolled and indented without injury, and no abrupt shoulders or ridges are formed within the tumbler to lift the leather to a considerable height.

2. The revolving tumbler herein shown and described for softening and raising the fiber of leather, the same having star-shaped heads with points f considerably rounded, and very obtuse reentrant angles a, and the sides of the, points fiat excepting for the rounding at the ends, the peripheries of the heads being connected by the spaced slats g to form a ridged surface, the battens is extended around the outsides of the slats intermediate to the heads and attached to the slats to bind them together, such battens divided at suitable points to form a portion of the slats into a door, and auxiliary battens it being secured to the door-slats at their ends and to the adjacent slats upon the tumbler with hinges 1 connecting the battens upon the door with' upon the heads, each point having the radial brace r connecting the battens q with the bars 19, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto'set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM A. MOMANUS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS S. CRANE, L. LEE. 

